Rebuild
by TJ-TeeJay
Summary: With Michael adrift after the events at House Thorn, he finds himself in Gabriel's aerie—face-to-face with his siblings in a face-off with Alex Lannon. My version of wrapping up some of the loose ends from the season finale. (COMPLETE)
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Rebuild  
**Author:** TeeJay  
**Genre:** Gen (with slight het undertones)  
**Characters/Pairings:** Michael, Alex Lannon, Noma Banks, Gabriel, Uriel, Claire Riesen (a little bit of Alex/Claire)  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Warning:** Contains spoilers for all of season 1, especially 1x08 "Beware Those Closest To You". There's a good portion of Alex whump, but nothing triggery.  
**Summary:** With Michael adrift after the events at House Thorn, he finds himself in Gabriel's aerie—face-to-face with his siblings in a face-off with Alex Lannon. My version of wrapping up some of the loose ends from the season finale.  
**Author's Note:** Originally, I started writing this story as a continuation to my previous Michael-centric one-shot called "Bridges Burned". But then inspiration struck like fire on high, and it turned from just a little extension piece to a full-blown mind movie that started playing in front of my mind's eye faster than I could write it down. It all made perfect sense when I was seeing it in my head. I hope it does on paper, too.  
And just to say, you don't need to read "Bridges Burned" to understand this story, but it will probably give you a bit more background information and insight. FFN won't let me insert a link, but you should be able to find the story if you look at my author profile.  
Massive thanks go out to the lovely Alipeeps for the beta.  
**Disclaimer:** None of this is mine except for my vivid imagination. Copyright to characters and situations belongs to the wonderfully imaginative Vaun Wilmott, SyFy and whoever else might wish to claim ownership. I'm just borrowing for a little escapism and a lot of fun.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Something was off. Michael could feel it, like a rush of adrenaline that swoops in and heightens your senses.

He wasn't sure what he had expected when he entered Gabriel's lair but it wasn't silence. The stone entrance hall was quiet. Too quiet. Where were all the Eight-balls?

Coming here hadn't been an easy decision. After the lab, after Alex had made him snap out of his blind rage, he'd sought shelter by the sea. It was entirely possible that he was beyond repentance but he had shed silent tears for the unnecessary lives he'd taken and had asked for forgiveness.

It had come in the form of Lucifer—and the archangel had taken something precious from him, the loss of which he was still trying to come to terms with. It had blindsided him and knocked him off balance. Enough to disorient him on his way here, so that darkness had fallen by the time he reached the high, black basalt formations that Gabriel had chosen as his new place of residence.

Crossing the entrance hall, he tried to reach out with his mind. It took a mere second to sense that both Gabriel and Uriel were here. He briefly closed his eyes and held his breath, then marched with determined steps to enter a narrow passageway to his right.

The silence ceased abruptly when the chasm he had followed opened onto a ledge that hung over a steep drop. High basalt pillars stretched upwards into blackness on all sides. The overhang he stood on overlooked a large cave from perhaps fifteen yards above its ground. Three figures stood below and Michael was taken aback to recognize that Alex was one of them.

Derisive laughter echoed off the barren walls. Michael could clearly make out to whom the voice belonged.

Gabriel's tone overflowed with snide arrogance. "Oh, so the _Chosen One_ crawls all the way up here to tell us that we're demented, power-hungry snobs, does he? Is that not what you heard, Uriel?"

Michael saw Uriel take a few steps closer to where Alex stood his ground, facing the two archangels. It seemed none of them had noticed Michael's arrival. Uriel's subtly accented voice cut in teasingly, "I don't know, brother. Does he?"

The condescension vanished from Gabriel's voice when he addressed the human. "Come now, Alex Lannon. I find it hard to believe that you would be here of your own free will if you didn't think there was something to accomplish from seeking out the one humanity believes to be their greatest enemy. Chosen One or not, even _you_ would not be delusional enough to believe you could face me single-handedly in battle and live to tell the tale.

"If I had to make a wild guess—and you'll see that I don't ever make wild guesses—I would venture to say that my dear brother killing all those people despite your best efforts to stop him, including the woman he claimed to have feelings for, has planted a seed of doubt in your mind.

"You've now witnessed with your own eyes just what he is capable of. I think what you saw has more than proven that Michael isn't quite the protector of humanity that you made him out to be."

"And what do you know about humanity?" spat Alex.

"More than you'll ever know, my dear boy. I've studied your kind for thousands of years. It's been…" Gabriel made a dismissive gesture with one hand, "mildly entertaining, to say the least. You really have a way with corruption and violence. Perhaps if I just wait a few more decades, waging a war against you won't even be necessary. But, ah, there is a time for patience and after 25 years of waiting, I'm afraid mine is wearing thin."

There was no fear in Alex's voice when he asked, "So why _do_ you think I'm here?"

"I was hoping you'd come here to ask for my help."

"Your help with what?"

"A truce."

"A _truce_?" Alex repeated incredulously.

"Yes, yes," Gabriel said impatiently, "isn't that what you want? For the fighting to stop, to prevent another war, to live happily ever after?"

Alex let out a hollow chuckle, "There is no place on earth I can imagine where we would live _happily ever after_ if it involved brokering some sort of deal with you. Because, and if I may just borrow your words, even _I_ wouldn't be delusional enough to think you'd agree to any kind of truce without an ulterior motive that would benefit your desire for power. So how exactly would you envision that truce you're thinking of?"

"Oh, but that's an easy one. All humans would unconditionally surrender their strongholds and give over power to me and my acolytes. There would be no governments or organized forces. I would be the sole leader of mankind and humans would obey me without resistance. We'd start with Vega and the people of Vega would spread the word of this new peace that the Chosen One is bringing. And of course you'd agree to be loyal to me so that the markings can lead us to our destiny that will bring our Father back."

Michael could hear every word and a red-hot, fiery wrath threatened to overwhelm him. Gabriel's audacity was second to none. But what disconcerted Michael more was that he had no idea what Alex's intentions were. After today's events, it was entirely possible that Alex would put altruism over opposition in the hopes of saving humanity.

Alex's voice remained carefully neutral. "And what would mankind get out of it?"

"Oh, but I'd let you live, of course."

"No more killing?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die. Well, not in the literal sense, you understand. As you know, immortality is one of the many gifts that our kind has been graced with." He stole a cursory glance at Uriel standing a few feet beside him.

"Sounds like a pretty shitty deal to me," Alex told Gabriel.

It made the smallest of smiles play at Michael's lips. Perhaps not all was lost.

"Well, well," Gabriel said in a mocking tone, "so that means no?"

"That means no way in hell."

"Such a shame. It'll be a terrible waste of human lives. Not to forget poor Noma. And it's all going to be on you, my dear boy. What will the people think when they hear that their precious Chosen One brought on their extermination?"

Alex stood a little straighter. "You sound awfully sure of yourself. You shouldn't forget we defeated you once already."

"Yes, and you had an archangel on your side then and a whole lot more strength in numbers. My combined forces outnumber yours four to one and that might be a conservative estimate."

"I'd still take our chances."

"Then why are you here? Clearly you see that we can't just let you leave."

"And clearly you never saw _this _coming."

With what seemed like lightning speed, Alex drew the fragment of Furiad's blade that Michael had let drop so carelessly to the ground in Becca's lab. It took even Gabriel by surprise and he let out a grunt of pain as the blade entered his abdomen in almost the exact same place it had Michael's.

As Gabriel dropped defenseless to his knees, Uriel advanced on Alex with a cry of rage. Michael was already in the air before his mind registered it.

Uriel's blade whipped through the air and her shouts mixed with Alex's. Metal on metal rang through the cave. Michael landed harder than he wanted to and could only witness as Uriel grabbed Alex by the throat and flung him into the air. Michael thought he could hear bones snap as the stone wall broke Alex's momentum with a forceful thud.

Alex crumpled to the ground and Michael stepped between him and Uriel. "That's enough," his voice boomed menacingly.

"Get out of my way," she snarled.

"You already did enough damage. The markings. You need him alive."

"He attacked our brother," she sneered, fury written all over her face. She raised her arm, aiming her blade at Alex.

Michael caught her wrist and held it firmly. "Yes, and he'll be punished for that, but this is not the time."

Uriel finally relented and Michael let go of her. She threw a last, contemptuous look at Alex before she turned around and hurried to kneel beside Gabriel. Michael took a close look at Alex, determining that he was unconscious but not in immediate danger. He joined Uriel by his brother's side.

Crimson blood was oozing freely from the wound in Gabriel's abdomen; this time there was no blade holding the damaged blood vessels in place. Uriel pressed a piece of cloth against the wound.

Michael made a quick decision. "He needs… you know what he needs. Take him. It's his only chance."

Uriel looked at him uncomprehendingly at first, then understood. "Yes, brother."

She scooped Gabriel up in her arms and hoisted both of them up in the air with powerful wing beats, vanishing through the opening up ahead that Michael had entered through earlier.

Michael turned his attention back to Alex, crouching down by the young man's side. He gingerly lifted Alex's head, touching the side of his neck with one hand. He felt a strong pulse beneath his fingertips and breathed a small sigh of relief.

Alex let out a low groan and slowly opened his eyes as he came to. Disorientation gave way to realization on his face. As Alex tried to push himself into a sitting position, Michael clasped Alex's upper arm to help him up.

There was sudden repulsion in Alex's eyes as he spat, "Get away from me."

Michael let go and retreated, surprised how much the words stung despite the fact that a rebuff had not been entirely unexpected.

"Alex," he said in a voice filled with regret.

Another low moan escaped Alex when he managed to sit up and lean his back against the wall behind him. "Leave me alone. I have nothing to say to you."

Michael silently inclined his head in acknowledgment but didn't move from the spot where he stood.

He watched Alex silently as the young man inspected the deep cut Uriel's sword had left in his bicep, his face contorting in pain. Michael continued watching silently as Alex drew a bandana from a side pocket of his cargo pants and awkwardly tried to tie it around his arm. He watched just as wordlessly as Alex let out a frustrated growl because he wasn't succeeding.

"Let me help," Michael said in a low, gentle voice.

Their gazes met and Michael could read reluctant assent in his eyes.

He could feel Alex's muscles tense as he tightened the knot of the bandana around Alex's arm, staunching the blood flow as best as he could. He studied the eyes that were screwed shut, the deep furrows on his forehead from the pain he was trying to hold in. He wished he could take some of it on and had to suppress the urge to touch Alex's forehead in a soothing gesture.

He leaned back when he was done, prepared for Alex to indicate the next move. He knew he had everything to lose if he didn't do this right.

Alex's eyes opened as he fought to get his breathing under control; heavy breaths that must be aggravatingly painful with a set of undoubtedly broken ribs. It took him a few, long moments before he was able to speak.

"So you're just gonna stand there, not saying anything?" he accused Michael.

"There is little I can say that would be of consolation to you."

Alex let out a disdainful breath through his nose. "So you're not even sorry?"

Michael closed his eyes, a wave of remorse roiling in his stomach, stifling his breath. He had to fight hard to overcome the shakiness in his voice. "The regret I feel is more profound than I can put into words."

"Yeah," Alex dismissed sarcastically, "that really means a lot."

Michael remained silent. Alex was very much proving his point. Alex's gaze bore into him, an anger in his eyes that was hard to ignore. "How could you?!" he said sharply. "After everything?"

Michael didn't know how to answer that question, because he was still searching for the answer himself. When he didn't respond, Alex pressed on. "Don't you dare just stand there! Tell me, Michael. How?!"

Michael's voice was meek. "I don't know."

Alex shook his head. "How can you not know? You killed three guards in cold blood, soldiers from your own Archangel Corps, loyal people I worked with every day. You killed Becca. How can you _not_ _know_?!"

"It was not something I did willfully. It will be hard for you to understand the forces at work. I failed to exert self-control and that is not something that I could ever expect for you to comprehend or forgive me for."

Alex raised his voice. "So what, we're just going to have to agree to disagree? I trusted you! Dammit, I trusted that you'd—" Anger bubbled up and got caught in his throat, sending him into a coughing spasm that he tried to ride out.

Michael winced at the way Alex's face contorted in discomfort, his good arm wrapping protectively around his injured torso, the other hand balled up and pressing against his mouth. When he finally regained control over his protesting body, Alex's fist came away with fresh blood on it. Michael took a step closer to him.

"You need medical care. You have multiple broken ribs and what looks like a punctured lung."

"Stay away from me. I don't need your help," Alex said through clenched teeth, trying to get up—and failing halfway.

Michael was quickly by his side, trying to help him into a standing position. Alex let him but not without a disdainful expression. Michael's wary eye on him never wavered and he broke the physical contact as soon as Alex had found his footing.

Alex's eyes traveled upward to what seemed the only way in and out of the cave. "Shit," he hissed.

"You know I can get us out of here," Michael stated matter-of-factly.

"Screw you," Alex spat at him. "I don't ever want to see you again!"

Michael took it on the chin, his grave expression not betraying how much it hurt to hear these words from the child he'd protected with his life for a quarter of a decade. He also knew he deserved every bit of it, but that didn't attenuate the accusation in any perceptible way.

He allowed himself to give in to the unfamiliar emotion that threatened to overwhelm him, quickly blinking away the tears that welled up in his eyes. Casting a last look at Alex, he made up his mind and lifted off the ground to disappear through the narrow crevice up above.

If Alex wouldn't accept his help, there was someone else here who could do what he could not. He reached out with his mind and tried to locate his trusted lieutenant.

He found her in a dark corner of Gabriel's makeshift throne room, mounted on a cross and chained in place with Empyrean steel. The fallen angel imagery was not lost on Michael but he didn't have time to dwell on it.

The handful of Eight-balls guarding the room were disposed of easily enough but not without leaving marks of their resistance on Michael's body.

He hesitated before killing the last of the lower angels, grabbing her face with both his hands. He squeezed hard, snarling in her face through clenched teeth, "Where is it?"

The Eight-ball emitted a screeching whimper, and Michael dropped her to the ground when he had obtained the information he needed. He crossed the room in fast strides to return with a set of keys.

"Michael," Noma said in relief when she recognized him.

He swiftly freed her from her chains. "There's a cave through the narrow passage on the east side of the entrance hall. Find Alex and get him back to Vega. I will meet you at the back entrance of the infirmary."

"What about Gabriel?" she asked.

"Not of concern right now. I will explain later. Now hurry, Alex is in need of medical attention."

She inclined her head and quickly left the room.

Michael followed her but made for the aerie's entrance and soared from the rock structure high into the night sky.

One thing they had to consider was that whatever medical personnel were to treat Alex, they would see his markings. Without higher angels left in Vega to lean on, it was difficult to know who was an ally and who a spy, but Michael also knew that he wouldn't have come this far without placing his trust in a chosen few.

Arriving in Vega, he summoned the two nurses and young doctor to the unguarded back entrance of the infirmary and made sure that Alex would be treated in private. He hoped it would be enough to prevent the word from getting out.

It didn't take long for Michael's keen senses to hear the approach of flapping wings, Noma's familiar figure weaving downwards to meet them. She gingerly placed a barely conscious Alex on the gurney that they had waiting for him.

Worry furrowed Michael's brow as he watched a deathly pale Alex being wheeled inside. Noma went with him but hesitated in the doorway. "Are you not coming?"

"No," he simply said.

He could clearly see the confusion on her face but she knew not to question the archangel's decision. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he's okay."

"I know you will," he told her and then they were out of sight.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Pain. It was the first sensation Alex felt when his senses returned. He had a hazy memory of being in and out of it but now he finally felt like he had a grasp of where he was.

A familiar figure was sitting in a chair next to his bed, her long hair falling over her shoulders as she leaned forward and smiled at him. "Finally," she told him, "I thought I'd have to stare at your unconscious baby face forever."

"Noma," he said and the sheer effort brought back the dull pain in his chest.

He tried to sit up but she stopped him. "Easy there, soldier. Those broken ribs won't take kindly to being jostled around for the next few weeks."

"Great," he sighed, but all too happy to obey. "Anything else I should know?"

"Like Michael suspected, you punctured your lung, but they were able to repair it without major surgery. And there's a pretty nasty gash in your arm. You'll be right as rain in, oh, maybe two months?"

"Is he here?" Alex's eyes searched the room.

"Michael? No. What's going on between you two?"

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"He completely lost it when he found out Becca Thorn was doing experiments on higher angels in her lab. He killed three AAC guards and then Becca. Then he vanished without a word."

Her eyes went wide, disbelief on her face. "Are you sure? He wouldn't do that."

"Yeah, that's what I would've said if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes."

"You were there? Why didn't you stop him?"

"Don't you think I didn't try? He's a frickin' archangel. He threw me across half the room."

Realization was starting to spread across her face. "Ah, now it's all starting to make sense. That's why he sent _me_ to get you out of that cave."

"I haven't thanked you for that yet, have I?"

She gave him a mischievous smile. "I should be mad at you. Didn't I tell you not to come after me?"

He grinned back at her. "Well, technically I didn't so much come after you as I was going after Gabriel."

He knew he owed Noma the details of the last few hours, so he started to give her an account of what happened.

By the time he had told her the whole story, he was truly exhausted. Emotions chased through his mind, jumbling into a blur of overwhelming confusion. He was thankful when she patted his leg and told him to get some rest.

Stealing a last look at her, he realized that his initial feeling of betrayal at her true identity had given way to something else. He closed his eyes with the comforting feeling that a higher angel was watching over him.

* * *

Michael's wing beats became slower as he approached the deserted city. San Francisco had once been magnificent but now the Golden Gate's broken remnants stuck out like the crumbling bones of a long dead corpse.

Dawn lay over the bombed ruins of the docks and Michael made his way to the rendezvous that Uriel liked to call "up north". He found her slumped in a worn brocade armchair, her long, blond hair unkempt, her eyes bereft of her usual feistiness. Michael feared the worst.

He didn't bother with a greeting. "Gabriel?"

She met his gaze. "He's alive," she said in a low voice. "Barely."

"What did he say?"

They both knew who 'he' was. "He's lost a lot of blood and the wound won't close. Not even the pinfeather may be able to help him now."

Michael closed his eyes and hung his head. This may well have been his fault. If he hadn't left Furiad's blade so carelessly in the wrong hands…

Uriel's angry words pulled him from his reverie. "How did the Chosen One get his hands on an Empyrean blade? This could only have been your doing!"

"It was Furiad's blade," he said hollowly.

"That doesn't answer my question."

"The humans kept it when they pulled it out of me."

"And _why_ didn't you ensure that it found its way where it belonged? Before it was too late."

Yes, why? The truth was, he had been preoccupied at the time, and more important things had required his attention. In the end it had become irrelevant and eventually forgotten. A grave mistake—one that might be costing his brother his life.

"Does it matter now?"

She shot him a fiery glance, then looked away. Michael idly stepped through the discarded items that littered the floor, poking at a shard of broken china with the tip of his shoe. He kept a wary eye on Uriel, wondering…

"Why were you with him in the cave?" he asked her.

She was taken aback for a split second, then quickly recovered. "We were having a talk."

Michael narrowed his eyes. She never could lie to him very well. "You had chosen a side. _His_ side."

"So what if I did."

"Uriel, this changes everything."

"Does it? Our brother is on the brink of death. None of that matters now."

"Why did you side with Gabriel?"

She shook her head incredulously. "Do you even have to ask? Don't we all want the same thing?"

"And you honestly believe that by waging war against humanity, it will bring Father back?"

"Oh, _humanity_," she said disdainfully. "His glorified creation. Don't you see? It's the markings that I cared about. You—you had clearly lost your way, Michael, hanging on to a doomed notion of hope in an ephemeral people who are precipitating their own downfall. And then you even laid waste to that when you killed your own beloved. How could I put trust in you?"

He looked away and focused on a mural that covered the wall opposite him. He suddenly felt utterly alone and he realized there was nothing to be accomplished here. He'd lost Uriel too.

"Wait," she said before he had even made an attempt to leave. Their connection had not been completely severed. "The Chosen One, is he...?"

"Alive? Yes."

With that he spread his wings and made his exit, no clear idea where to go next.

* * *

Noma was still by his bed when Alex awoke the next morning. He smiled a small smile at the light snores coming out of her mouth and the way she had curled herself up awkwardly in the visitor's chair.

She awoke when the nurse came to check on Alex's IV, injecting something into his IV line. The nurse gave the two of them a quick smile and came back a few minutes later with a tray of food and drinks that Alex and Noma dug into with fervor.

Noma put down the empty plastic cup that had previously contained something akin to rice pudding. "I don't suppose Claire knows that you're here."

Alex gave her a guarded look. "No, and she shouldn't."

"Why?"

"Because she's better off without me."

"Bullshit."

He lowered his head, studying a faint stain on his otherwise spotless bed sheet. "It's complicated."

"That's something you say when you're evading the really important shit. What is it you're not telling me?"

"Noma, I can't."

"Yeah, that's what I'd expect you'd tell someone like Ethan. Come on, it's _me_. I mean, I just saved your chosen ass from a deadly archangel attack."

He couldn't help it and let the half smile crack at the corner of his mouth. He wavered for a moment, trying to make up his mind, but he also knew that if there was one person left in the world he could trust, it was Noma.

"You remember when you were making fun of me for hooking up with Claire Riesen? Let's just say we didn't exactly use protection."

She gaped at him. "No way. You knocked her up?"

He let out a hollow chuckle. It sounded a lot less big of a deal than it was. His expression darkened when he thought back to the last conversation he'd had with Claire.

To Noma, he said, "And you know what the worst thing is? She wasn't even going to tell me. And I can't even blame her. The child deserves a family. A father who can raise them and give them what I never had."

"You're not seriously thinking of William?"

"Come on, it makes perfect sense."

"You haven't heard?"

"Heard what?" he asked.

"William is gone."

"Gone? What do you mean?"

"No one knows. There's rumors that he's one of Gabriel's acolytes. I think there were plans to have him executed but he's nowhere to be found. Half the city is out looking for him but I suspect Consul Whele made sure he's long gone."

This threw Alex and somewhere in the vicinity of his stomach a solid knot started forming.

Claire. With her father gone and him leaving her with that letter, now she had lost William too. He bit his tongue to staunch the emotion that he didn't want Noma to see.

She could still see right through him. Her voice was sympathetic. "Are you sure you don't want her to know you're here?"

He thought about it, processing the new information. "What would that change, Noma? I'd still be a shitty father to my child."

"Come on, you don't know that!"

"Yes, I do," he said forcefully, and instantly regretted it when it sent a wave of pain rippling through his chest. He grimaced and added, "The child would have a constant target on their back. People close to me end up injured or dead. I can't put that on my child. I just can't."

"So you'd prefer that your kid grew up without a father, is that it?"

He pressed his lips together before he answered, "That's still better than the alternative. At least they won't be stuck in V1, like I was."

She met his gaze. "You know, it's not that I don't get it, but I still think it's not a decision that you should be making alone."

He looked at her pleadingly. "Please don't tell her. Please."

She gave him a long look and finally conceded. "Okay."

He nodded and then met her eyes. "So what happens to you now? I exposed you to the Senate as a higher angel. You can't go back to the AA Corps."

"Don't worry about me. For now I'm gonna simply be your babysitter, so you better get used to my ugly mug staring at you for extended periods of time."

He sighed theatrically. "Oh great…"

She gave him a smile. "Hey, it could be worse. It could be Louis."

Alex's face fell. "Louis is dead."

When she looked at him questioningly, he added, "Michael killed him. Consul Thorn used him as one of her test subjects. Sawed off his wings, cut open his chest. It was pretty gruesome. He asked Michael for mercy, and Michael never thought twice about it."

Noma got up from her chair, taking a few steps away from Alex as if she was suddenly repulsed by him.

He reached out with one arm towards her. "Hey. It's not my fault. I may be human, but I would never, _never_ condone such a thing."

She closed her eyes and nodded slowly. "I know. It's just so wrong."

Yes, he mused, it was. Sadness swam in Noma's eyes as she looked at Alex. "I need some air."

He didn't see her again until a whole day later.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Progress of Alex's recuperation was slow but steady and the solitude was starting to drive him crazy. He only ever had contact with the same four people, and after a week of drifting in and out of the same sleep-eat-sleep-eat cycle, he slowly and laboriously forced himself into his clothes and broke free of his makeshift infirmary prison.

Noma found him two hours later by the urn wall that housed Jeep's ashes. He didn't even want to venture a guess how. Perhaps higher angels had some sort of sixth sense for that kind of thing. Perhaps she just knew him too well.

He was immeasurably thankful when she didn't speak and just sat down wordlessly next to him. They stayed like that for a long time until Alex finally broke the silence.

"Can you take me up to the Stratosphere?"

She looked at him in surprise. "To do what?"

"To talk to Michael."

"He's not there."

"Then I'll wait."

"Alex, he hasn't been in Vega since the night we brought you to the infirmary. No one's seen him, no one knows where he is."

That took him completely by surprise. Michael had been a constant fixture in Vega, stoic and commanding, and never in a million years had he thought that could ever change.

He wondered if it had to do with what had become of Gabriel. It had been eerily quiet in the angel ranks. No matter how much Noma had tried to gather information, no one knew if Gabriel was still alive. Although Alex suspected that he was, otherwise something would have seeped through.

"Has anyone tried to look for him?"

"In Vega?"

"Yeah. No. I don't know. Wherever he usually goes."

"Who knows where he usually goes? He could be anywhere. Literally anywhere. Our net doesn't stretch that wide. Not to forget, he's the archangel. You don't go to _him_, he comes to _you_."

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Asking the question seemed out of place, because not a week ago, he had been sure he didn't need anyone's guidance, let alone a misguided archangel's. Today he felt aimless and adrift.

"Aren't _you_ supposed to be the Chosen One?" she countered.

"I may be carrying the damn tattoos, but I don't have all the answers."

"Yeah, that would have been too easy, wouldn't it?"

Alex got to his feet, grunting as he did so from the broken ribs that every little movement seemed to aggravate. "Can you take me to the Stratosphere anyway?"

She didn't question him this time. "Yeah, sure."

* * *

Alex wandered around circular room, taking in the faint scent of incense and candles, the ceiling fresco above the free-standing bed, the golden geometric patterns on the walls, half obscured by cream colored curtains. Dried up oranges were shriveling in a bowl on a dressing table. He felt like an intruder in someone's home, but wasn't that exactly what he was?

He'd asked Noma to leave. He wasn't sure what exactly he might accomplish here on his own, but if there was any place where guidance might be offered, this was the only one he'd been able to think of.

Looking around the room, he focused on a vacant spot on the floor. He used one of the large pillows to make himself comfortable in a cross-legged position. He pulled his shirt over his head with a subdued groan, yet again startled by the alien sight of the tattoos winding across his body. The bandage around his upper arm concealed some of them, others were discolored by purplish green bruises. He had a feeling that didn't matter.

He sucked in as deep a breath as he could muster despite the pain it caused and placed his hands loosely on his knees. Trying to straighten his back, he closed his eyes and tried to remember what Michael had taught him.

His mind wandered aimlessly—from facing Gabriel in the voltage cell, to the cave, to Noma, to Claire, to William. He felt his thoughts tumbling into each other, felt the anxiety mounting.

It took half a minute until he realized he was clenching his fists, so he made a conscious effort to relax his muscles and refocus. He could almost hear Michael's dispassionate voice from across the room.

"_Don't dwell on the thoughts. Register them, but don't judge them. Let them float by, like leaves carried by stream."_

It was easier said than done but of course nothing Michael had ever asked him had been easy. However, he also knew that each time, he had come away with an invaluable lesson learned. Relaxing his facial muscles, he let his jaw slacken and opened his mind.

First there was nothing. Then the scenery changed. He was standing alone in the desert. White sands stretched in all directions, a merciless sun beating down on him. Shadows suddenly swept in, darkness alternating with brightness, surrounding him from above. When he looked upwards, there was only blinding light.

"Watch the shadows, not the sun," he heard Michael's voice at the back of his mind.

Alex concentrated on the ground, tracking the shadows south-west. They seemed to be moving away from him and he instinctively followed. His feet dragged heavily through the loose sand but he forced himself forward.

He was being guided up a particularly steep dune that was difficult to climb. When he finally reached the top, he propped himself upright and surveyed the territory. Using his hand as a sunshield, he could make out a distinct rock formation in the far distance, the landscape that was stretching out in front of him suddenly changing to dried-out steppe terrain.

A noise on the ground beside him caught his attention and he recognized the animal staring up at him as a red fox. Its curious, inquisitive eyes studied Alex, then it turned its head towards the rock structure in the distance, as if it wanted to indicate something to him.

A sharp pain in his left forearm momentarily distracted him and Alex was jerked back to reality, the pain searing from his vision right into the real world. The tattoos there were moving, twisting in opposite directions and he had to suppress the urge to touch them.

They finally stopped winding and the words 'Guide the way for those who have lost their path' started to glow orange on his skin. As quickly as the letters had appeared, they vanished again, the markings shifting back into their original position, the pain gone.

He released the breath he'd been holding. What did that mean? It could mean anything. He knew it had been a sign of sorts, but where would he start?

He got up from the sitting position and looked around the room. On an antique desk near the western wall, he found a piece of paper and a pencil and he haphazardly started drawing what he remembered of the rock formation.

The fox and the rock structure had to have some kind of significance—he was sure of that. He decided that this would be his starting point. There had to be a way to find out where these rocks were located. Alex went to the elevator and hit the button to open the doors, finding Noma sitting on the floor with her back leaned against the wall.

She got up when she recognized Alex, stepping out into the room. "Did you find anything?"

He thrust the piece of paper under her nose. "Here. Do you recognize this?"

She took a closer look, her brow creased in a frown. "A… I don't know… ECG trace?"

"No," he said impatiently. "It's a rock formation. Somewhere. I don't know where."

"A rock formation?" She took another look at Alex's scribbles. "Your drawing skills are terrible."

"I think I'm supposed to find these rocks."

"You _think_?"

"Well, the message isn't always clear."

"Okay, you better start at the beginning. What the hell happened in there?"

He wasn't ready to share his experience with her, not yet. He turned to face her, his voice tight with impatience. "Look, can you just trust me on this for now? Can you help me find these rocks?"

She threw her arms up incredulously. "How?"

"I don't know," he spat back, his voice raised.

"You're not suggesting I fly around the Cradle to look for scraggly zigzag lines on a piece of paper, are you?"

"I hadn't considered that, but, yeah, if it helps…"

She shook her head in disbelief. "Not if you don't tell me what this is about. I mean, you were in there for hours. Now you burst in here and just expect me to go on some wild goose chase without even knowing why?"

"Fine," he said huffily. "I'll find them without your help."

He entered the elevator cabin, hitting the door closing button without waiting for Noma to join him.

"Alex," she called after him, but the doors were already sliding shut.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

With the busy street life of the Strip bustling around him, Alex felt disoriented. The atmosphere seemed more aggressive than it used to be but perhaps it was just in his imagination. He looked around, hoping no one would recognize him.

Being out in public wasn't the smartest move—he knew that. But after three weeks raiding scraps off of ration distribution centers, he needed sustenance and he wasn't sure where else to get it.

Having been AWOL from the AA Corps for all this time, he was certain he'd lost all privileges. If he was caught now, there was a good chance they'd purge him too.

All these weeks, he'd racked his brain, trying to figure out how to find the rock structure. He'd managed to find a way into the derelict library, browsing through atlases and maps. He hadn't gotten anywhere.

Uncontained water leakage from a burst main had destroyed the majority of the library's inventory and random raids by eager larcenists had done the rest to whatever filing system there might once have been. After two weeks roaming through overturned shelves for anything useful, he'd recognized it was a futile endeavor.

Sure, he could just steal a Humvee and hit the road, but without any idea which direction to go, he realized it would be just as much of a fool's errand.

Noma couldn't help him, this much was clear. He hadn't spoken to her since the Stratosphere—which he took as a sign that his hideout had been well chosen. There were still a few places in the city he'd frequented in his teens that she didn't know about.

The number of people he truly trusted next to Noma rapidly dropped towards zero; with two exceptions. Ethan would be about as much use as Noma with what little information he had to go on. There was only one other person he could think of that might actually be able to get him somewhere but it was the one person he most wanted to avoid: Claire Riesen.

His plan wasn't elaborate. And he'd need Ethan after all to deliver a message. It wasn't fair on his friend, he knew that, but there was no way he could just walk into the Riesen residence and ask to see the Lady of the City.

Focusing back on his task out here on the Strip, he drew upon a skill he had hoped he wouldn't ever have to use again. Having lived as a V1 had taught him basic survival techniques. An apple snagged from a fruit stand here, a bag of dried meat there. He stuffed the assortment of poached goods into the canvas shoulder bag and hastily made his way towards his makeshift dwellings to devise a plan how to get in touch with Ethan without getting caught.

* * *

At which point the human saying that "no news is good news" started to have any merit, Michael couldn't tell. It had been too long. His anxiety over Gabriel's fate was ever mounting and no news was forthcoming.

It was his third meeting with Uriel in as many weeks, this time just outside the ruins of Los Angeles—apt for its name but not for its state of decay. Very few building structures were still standing and those that did were on the verge of collapse. The Extermination War had wreaked havoc here more than in any of the surrounding cities.

Their meeting place was an abandoned fallout shelter, the vestiges of a human war a century in the past. He knew Uriel had a fondness for relics of a bygone era but he doubted that stale cans of food and empty wooden crates would be worthy of her admiration. The choice of location puzzled him.

He sat down on one of the ramshackle chairs and waited.

He could sense her before he could hear her. A curious sensation and perhaps, he mused, the absence of his connection to humans that Lucifer had taken from him had resulted in a heightened acuity of his other senses.

"Uriel," he greeted her as she appeared in the doorway.

"I'm slowly getting tired of seeing your woeful face," she lamented.

"No word of our brother?"

She let out a theatrical sigh. "Why do you even ask? Don't you think we'd both know if there was?"

He had to grant her that but there was little way of knowing for certain. She challenged him with a disdainful stare.

"Tell me, why are you here, Michael? Had we not established that these little meetings were a futile effort?"

"There is no need for callousness. I am concerned about Gabriel. Are you not?"

"Of course I am!" she shot back. "Tell me, has the Chosen One been punished?"

"It may not be my rightful place to exact his punishment."

"Then whose? Lucifer's? Raphael's?"

Michael cocked his head slightly, remaining silent.

She let out a frustrated growl. "I can't believe you. He as good as kills our brother and you still protect him. Is he back in Vega?"

He fixed her with an unfeeling stare. "I couldn't say."

Her eyes narrowed at that statement. "You left the city and never looked back. I'm right, aren't I, little brother?" It was amazing how she could size him up in an instant.

"Is that so surprising?"

She gave him an approving grin. "It may be the first sensible thing you've done in eons."

* * *

The Agri-Towers were intimidating at night, which was exactly why Alex had chosen them as the place for his meeting with Claire. Literally no one ever came out here after dusk. He knew her well enough to say with a degree of certainty that she wouldn't be daunted by the eerie location.

From his vantage point, he watched her vehicle approaching, watched as she exited the driver's side and walked with steady steps to where his note directed her. He'd never questioned that she would come, though he'd hoped she would somehow manage to forego the company of her Archangel Corps escort that was undoubtedly shadowing her every move these days.

The metal grate he stood on creaked lightly as Claire ascended the stairs to the first irrigation platform. Senator Frost had designed the outside structures so that they could be accessed freely without them granting admittance to the tower itself. Perhaps a tribute to his own pretentiousness so he could show off his prime accomplishment.

Claire stopped at the top of the stairs, her eyes seeking out familiar shapes in the dark.

"Alex?" she whispered.

"Over here," he whispered back, edging closer.

She closed the distance between them in three quick steps, enveloping him in a tight embrace. He couldn't help but groan, the pain almost blinding him.

She immediately let go when she realized she was causing him physical pain. "My God, you're hurt. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he said, trying hard to make it sound carefree, and failing.

"What happened?" Her voice was taking on a panicked edge.

"Couple of broken ribs."

Her hands came up to lightly touch his upper arms. "I'm sorry, I didn't know, I— How— Are you okay?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. Getting there."

She stared at his face, drinking him in, her nose inches from his.

"Alex." Her voice was full of longing and desperation. "I'm glad you're back. I've missed you," she said, and then her lips met his.

It was pure reflex to kiss her back, to get lost in her, to weave his fingers into the hair at the nape of her neck and draw her closer. Their yearning was second to none, but he managed to stop himself before he was completely sucked in.

He pulled back, breaking their physical connection. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

She studied his expression as if she wasn't sure which question to ask first. "Why did you leave?"

"I had to. Gabriel had to be stopped."

"He did this to you?"

"No. That was Uriel."

"Uriel? What—"

"Yeah. Michael and Gabriel, they have a sister."

"How did this happen? Alex, please tell me what's going on."

"Look," he said with some urgency to his voice, "That's not important now. I need—"

She interrupted him mid-sentence. "How is that not important?"

"I need your help. Can you get me into the city's archives?"

She frowned. "The archives? What for?"

"There's information I need that I can't get anywhere else."

"What information?"

"A rock formation. I need to know where it is."

"A rock formation?" she repeated. "You're not making any sense."

"I know," he conceded. "I must sound kinda crazy. And I'm going to explain it to you when I can. But I need to know if you can help me."

"Yes," she finally said. "Yes, I'll get you into the archives. Now, _please_ tell me what's going on."

He gave her as short a version as he could, trying to ignore the tears streaming down her face when he told her about his face-off with the archangels and its aftermath.

When he was finished, his gaze sought out her face, trying to read it in the half-light. He couldn't quite discern the jumble of emotions there. His expression turned a notch graver, because he had a feeling they finally had opportunity to corner the elephant in the room.

He felt the urge to flee before she could change his mind. A cowardly move, he knew. "Claire, I have to go."

"Go where?"

"I can't tell you. It's better you don't know."

"No, Alex. How could I let you go after you're finally back?"

"I'll see you again, I promise. Tell me where we can meet at the archives, a place I can get to safely."

"You're really going to leave." It was a statement more than a question.

"I have to. I'm sorry, Claire."

He could see she was fighting back tears but she swallowed them down, then told him. "Meet Ethan under the old pedestrian bridge tomorrow morning at 10. I'll have the details worked out by then."

He knew which one she meant and nodded, then squeezed her hand one last time before he went to the flight of metal stairs. He turned around one last time. "I'm sorry about William," he said before he descended, not looking back for fear she might be able to stop him after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Solitude was not a concept alien to Michael. Oftentimes, he would embrace the quiet moments in an otherwise lively human society that seemed to bustle with constant energy and activity. It surprised him all the more that, in its absence, he found he was sorely missing it.

After he'd handed an injured Alex over into Noma's care, he'd wandered aimlessly for a while, taking leave from Vega. The Senate had been talking about forced exile before. He preferred to preempt the strike, knowing full well that this time there was no clever ploy working for him in the background. He needed time to conceive of ways how to rebuild the bridges he'd burned.

He'd made a home in a secluded location that had all the basics he needed and all the privacy required to contemplate his future.

Sitting cross-legged on the sun-warmed ground, a soft breeze tousling his hair, the orange sun sinking low on the horizon, it already seemed like an eternity ago that he'd lost control and let the overpowering rage guide his hand.

He'd disappointed so many people in those short minutes where he'd needlessly slain four souls. He'd had his reasons, of course—the justification of them a whole other matter.

Becca's betrayal had cut deep. It still did. Torturing innocent, neutral higher angels for the sake of scientific discovery was an abomination. He had a hard time justifying how that could ever be acceptable in a world that preached peace and collaboration.

In the Stratosphere tower, he had asked her to keep Louis safe. She'd gone and done the exact opposite and deprived the angel of his wings, of his will to live. He could still see Louis' lifeless green eyes staring up at him from a body bent and broken, a body whose life Michael's own sword had claimed willfully to end his fellow angel's suffering.

Did Becca deserve to pay for her wrongdoings with her own life? She had wanted to keep the city safe, and the love she may have had for Michael did not prevail over her sense of duty to a people she had only wanted to protect. The irony wasn't lost on him and it seemed impossible to him now how he could not at least have made an effort to hear her out.

As much as it may have seemed a justified response then to kill Becca for what she'd done, it didn't appear that way to him now. However, for all of their higher abilities and gifts, even an archangel couldn't turn back time, so Michael had vowed to repent and had accepted his punishment in reticent obedience.

There had been a time when he had thought he didn't need company to lead a content existence. The humans had proven him wrong. There was an emptiness inside him now that threatened to consume him. He never thought he could miss the physical contact as much as he did, miss the verbal exchanges, miss the certainty that his presence would be welcome, that his insights would be valued.

So this was how it was going to be; silence had been elected as his sentence and the vast desolation of his new habitat only seemed a natural choice.

He took a deep breath, taking in the unfamiliar smells, when he sensed a new presence. Soft taps of paws, a faint rustle to his left. He opened his eyes and watched his new visitor guardedly approaching.

The fox's pointed ears were pricked up, its snout held high to sniff the air. Watchful eyes were trained on Michael.

A faint smile spread across Michael's lips. Two lost souls in need of companionship. He had a feeling the two of them would become fast friends.

* * *

"Alex, I need you. _We_ need you," Claire pleaded.

Wind was whipping strands of her long hair in her face as she stood opposite Alex in the cool night air.

"Oh, _now_ you need me," he countered, turning around to grip the railing of the balcony outside the shabby room of the long abandoned Riviera Hotel they had chosen as their meeting place.

He continued in a raised voice, "Now that William is gone and your father is gone, you suddenly realize how much it sucks to be alone, huh? Well, here's the good news: at least you're a V6."

"Status has nothing to do with it," she told him, her tone carefully controlled.

He shook his head. Status had everything to do with it. "And then what? You'll show me off and produce Exhibit A in front of the Senate: "Look here, I've brought you the Chosen One and guess what, I'm also carrying his child". All hail the great Claire Riesen."

"At least then we wouldn't have to sneak around like this anymore!"

He turned back to face her. "You think I'm doing this by choice?"

"Alex, I've told you. I'm Lady of the City. I can get you reinstated, even make you a lieutenant."

He let out a disdainful snort. "Yeah, like that's gonna solve all my problems."

She stayed silent for an instant, the tension falling a notch. She fixed her gaze on him with an earnest intensity. "You don't have any idea what it's like. The Senate is in disarray. Consul Thorn, William, my father, Michael—they're all gone. David Whele is a shell of what he used to be. Alex, we're barely holding it together. Vega's society is on the brink of collapse. You've seen the riots in the Valley and it's spreading. The people need hope. They need something to believe in. Revealing your true identity will give the people something to live for."

He digested the information for a long moment then said determinedly, "It'll have to wait. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"To go where?"

"The rock formation, I know where it is now. Way out east, at least a day's drive."

"Alex…"

"I know. It's what I need to do."

"Why?"

"God, Claire, I've told you why."

"No, all you've told me were half-lies shrouded in vague innuendo."

"Because the damn tattoos said so, okay?!" he finally yelled.

She was taken aback, as if she was suddenly reminded of who he really was. "The markings said drive to a specific rock structure with no clear idea what's waiting there for you?"

He sighed. "Not in those exact words but, yeah, something like that."

"It sounds like a pretty big leap of faith, even for you."

"Look," he said, lightly touching her upper arms, "I've done this before. It's always led me to the next step. I really need to do this."

She seemed to deflate beneath his touch, already relenting. Her hand came up to his forehead, her fingertips brushing away a stray curl of his short, blond hair.

"Please be careful out there. I need you back in one piece."

"I'll need a vehicle."

"I will have them prepare one first thing tomorrow morning. The second East Gate."

He whispered, "Thank you," then he leaned in and their lips met for a soft kiss.

* * *

Alex had barely left the city, the tainted silhouette of leftover glory fading in his rear view mirror, when he heard a familiar swooshing sound overhead. It didn't take long for Noma's winged form to come into view.

She fell in line with his vehicle beside the driver's side, matching its speed. Alex rolled down the window. "Go away," he called out the window.

"Come on, Alex, you know me better than that."

He did and he knew, of course, that he wouldn't get rid of her unless they had a proper conversation. He sighed and hit the brakes until the car came to a halt. Noma got in through the passenger side door and Alex continued driving. He didn't want to lose any more time.

"Geez," she lamented, "took you long enough to leave the city. I've been waiting forever. Used to be easier when Michael was still around, he always knew where you were."

Alex frowned. "What do you mean, he always knew where I was?"

"He was given a special gift, a close connection to you. Kinda like a sixth sense."

"To _me_? Wow, that's creepy."

"No, to all humans."

Alex hadn't known this; it was a whole new revelation. "Please don't tell me he can read minds, too."

She shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I think it was more like a general sense of presence. He never talks about it. All the higher angels know about it though, but we don't question it. It's just his thing, you know?"

Yes, Alex knew exactly. Michael seldom revealed any personal information. If he was the master at anything, it was how to answer questions with other evasive questions. All the more surprising had it been that Michael had given him a glimpse into his past out by the abandoned waterpark.

Noma looked at him curiously. "If I was to hazard an educated guess, I'd say you spent these last weeks looking for your scraggly Holy Grail and now you've finally found it. How close am I?"

He smiled. "Pretty darn close."

"And you couldn't loop me in?"

"It was something I had to do by myself."

"Says who?"

"Says… I dunno. The universe."

"Oh, so this is like a Chosen One thing, is it?"

"Yeah. Now can you leave it alone already?"

"So where are we going exactly?" she asked.

"Who says that _we_ are going anywhere? What part of 'I have to do this by myself' did you not understand?"

"What part of 'you know me better than that' did _you_ not understand?"

He hit on the brakes again, this time so abruptly that Noma had to brace herself on the dashboard in order not to hit the windscreen.

"Jesus, why can't you all just get off my case?!" he said in a raised voice. "I'm the one carrying the damn tattoos, I'm the one trying to figure this out, I'm the one living with the consequences!"

She started at him intently. "But that doesn't automatically mean you have to do it alone."

"Yes. Yes, it does!"

"So what if you run into a pack of Eight-balls—or worse? There's raiders all over the Cradle."

He let out a derisive chuckle. "Really, Noma? After eleven years on the Force together? You know I'm perfectly capable of defending myself."

"As proven by a set of broken ribs and a punctured lung?"

"I think we can hardly expect for Gabriel and Uriel to randomly roam the desert."

"I guess I just don't understand. Why is it so important that you take all this on by yourself?"

He sucked in a deep breath, trying to find a satisfactory answer. "The truth is, I don't know. Call it a gut feeling, okay? I know that's not a good explanation. It just feels… right."

She gave him a benevolent look. "It's okay. I get it."

"You do?"

She grinned. "Divine intuition, right? Who am I to argue with that?"

This caught him off guard. "Okay, this is weird."

They looked at each other and mutual smiles turned into light-hearted laughs.

"How is that for plain-old-Alex, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, not quite plain-old-Nomes either."

He cast a cursory glance at the rear-view mirror then turned to her. "You know, there's something you can do in Vega. Claire said the government is on the verge of collapse. There's upheaval, the people are getting restless. Anything you can do to keep things under control."

"Like… what exactly?"

"I don't know. Get creative."

"Could you be any less specific?"

"Sorry to break it to you, but divine intuition only gets me this far."

"Well, it was worth a shot."

She opened the passenger side door, getting out of the car. Leaning in through the open door, she said to Alex, "You better come back in one piece, Lannon."

Before he could respond, she slammed the door and lifted off into the overcast sky. Alex turned the key and revved up the engine, dreading the miles and miles of outstretched road ahead of him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

He'd named her Tama. Michael's fox visitor had returned every day, like clockwork, when he was meditating outside—as if she was sensing that he felt more alone than he ever had.

Her confidence grew every day. Today she sat barely six feet from Michael, ears pricked, always ready to flee but staying put nonetheless. He hadn't noticed the first time he'd seen her, but her front legs were unusually colored for a red fox: one black and one white.

Realizing she was looking more relaxed than before, he allowed himself a small smile and took comfort in the presence near him as he closed his eyes and focused his mind.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there but a noise captured his attention and he opened his eyes to see Tama backing away, her stance indicating there was danger ahead. She sniffed the air one last time then turned on her heels and scurried away on nimble paws.

Michael listened and trained his eyes to the unseen danger Tama had warned him about. He swiftly moved into an upright position, his body alert, ready to face what was ahead. Not an angel—he'd know if one of his kind was approaching.

It was the familiar silhouette of a man coming into view, climbing up the rounded rocks that opened onto the plateau Michael was standing on.

The two men stood face to face for a long moment, three yards apart, scrutinizing each other.

"Alex," Michael finally said, no trace of surprise in his voice—as if it was a perfectly normal occurrence that Alex was seeking out the archangel in this most secluded place, in the middle of nowhere.

Alex let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Shoulda known it was about you."

"How did you find me?"

"How do you think?"

"The markings," Michael said knowingly.

"Yeah," Alex confirmed wearily, "the markings. Imagine that."

"What did they say?"

"What do they ever say? A cryptic message, a vision of a rock structure—_this_ rock structure. How do you think I found you way out here, 800 miles east of Vega?"

Alex let his backpack slide from his shoulders and took a swig of the water from the bottle he'd been carrying. Then he sat down on the ground and wiped the sweat from his brow. Michael gracefully sat down beside him, keeping a respectful distance.

Alex stared into the distance, across the barren plains that were mottled with drying tussocks of buffalo grass. He lifted his palms upwards. "So now what? Obviously I'm supposed to accomplish something here."

Michael's gaze upon him was inscrutable. "You tell me."

"Let's start with why you're here."

"Seemed like an apt place to live out my sentence."

Alex narrowed his eyes. "Sentence?"

"Yes. What I did didn't go unnoticed. Punishment was swift. It's our way, and I accepted it."

"And your punishment was…?"

"A loss of something I had begun to take for granted and shouldn't have."

"And you being punished, that somehow makes it okay?" Alex asked.

"Okay? No. None of what I did could ever be called okay. I made a grave error in judgment, reacted reprehensibly. Not only did I take unnecessary lives, I also made the biggest mistake of all."

Michael fell silent and Alex waited for him to elaborate, which he didn't. "And what mistake was that?" he asked the archangel.

"I failed you."

Alex contemplated these words. He'd been over the scene in the lab in his head a hundred times. He hadn't come any closer to making sense of it. Perhaps that was the problem. There wasn't any sense to be _made_ of it. Archangels were allowed to make mistakes, drastic as the consequences had been.

"I trusted you," Alex finally said. "We _all_ trusted you."

There was remorse and guilt in Michael's low voice. "I know. And please believe me when I say that I would give anything to undo what I did."

Alex turned his head to look at Michael. "I'm not sure that that's going to be enough. But maybe it'll have to be."

"Perhaps I don't deserve whatever forgiveness you have to offer."

Alex lowered his head, rubbing the knuckle of his thumb in his lap before he looked back up to meet Michael's gaze. "_'Your rise is my redemption, Alex. Don't let me down.'_ That's what you said to me at the waterpark. And you know what? Somehow it's starting to make sense now, and I didn't see it before. We _do_ need you."

"After everything, what could you possibly need my help with?"

"We need you back in Vega. Things have gone from bad to worse. We need someone to pull the city back together."

"And what makes you think that someone is me?"

"The vision I had. This will sound crazy, but I was led here by a fox."

"A fox, you say?"

"Yes, a red fox. Does that mean anything to you?"

"Did it have differently colored front legs?"

"Yes, one black and one white. Why?"

"Curious," Michael just said. "Did you see anything else?"

"The tattoos, there was another message. _'Guide the way for those who have lost their path.'_" Alex let his arms sweep across the vast landscape stretching out in front of them. "Three guesses on that one."

"Alex, you saw with your own eyes what I did. The people in Vega know that I killed one of their consuls in what they will only see as a fit of murderous rage. I am no longer welcome there."

"I think you may be underestimating the power of the Senate. Yes, the ruling class of Vega knows that you killed Consul Thorn, but they made sure this information was contained to only the highest ranks. The public only knows that you have left the city, that one of Vega's senators was killed in the aftermath of Gabriel's escape, and that General Riesen and William Whele are no longer in Vega."

Michael's expression was filled with astonishment. "William is gone from the city?"

"Yeah. He was exposed as the leader of the Black Acolytes. No one knows where he is but there's rumors that David Whele had a hand in his disappearance."

"That's not entirely unexpected," Michael commented dryly.

"Speaking of acolytes… What about Gabriel? Is he dead?"

"No," Michael said without elaborating.

"Then where is he?"

"In a safe place where his fate is yet to be decided."

Alex briefly frowned. "So he may still come back?"

Michael stayed silent for a long moment, then said, "He will, if that is his destiny."

"And in the meantime?"

"In the meantime, you gather your strength and rebuild your defenses. There is still a chance that humanity will prevail."

"Does that mean you will no longer help us?"

"I haven't decided yet," Michael told Alex.

Alex got up from his sitting position, stepping closer to Michael. "And who says that _you_ get to make that decision?"

Michael fixed Alex with a level stare. "Are you suggesting that the markings give you the power to hold command over me?"

"No," Alex said carefully, "but the vision that guided me here, the last message I deciphered—it has to mean something, right?"

"It could mean any number of things. From what you said, it could mean that William is the person you're asked to guide."

"Yeah, but William isn't the one I found here on this slab of rock now, is he? Michael, come back with me to the city. I'll meet with Claire, there will be a way to fix this. Maybe it's time we revealed my identity to the Senate."

Michael seemed to contemplate the suggestion while Alex took yet a step closer so that his shadow fell on Michael. "You said you believed in me. And for the last few weeks, you told me to trust you. And I have, sometimes against my better judgment. Perhaps now it's time that you trusted _me_, Michael."

"I do believe in you," Michael affirmed. "And I do trust you."

"Then come back with me to Vega."

"Are you sure that's the right thing to do?"

Alex let out a chuckle. "How can I ever be sure? But my gut feeling has gotten me this far and that's what I'm willing to go with. You know, Noma called it divine intuition. I don't know if I'd go as far as calling it that, but at the very least it's a sign that I'm not going to ignore."

Michael finally got up from his sitting position. "Very well," he said simply.

"So you're coming with me?"

"Yes."

"Yes? That's it?"

Michael already started climbing down the rocks. "Is that not what you wanted?"

Alex started following him, mumbling, "Man, you're a real piece of work."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

Getting into the next Senate session had been easier than Alex thought. Of course it was hard to arrest someone when the Lady of the City was announcing that you were under her protection.

There were audible gasps among the Senate members when the twin doors opened and Lady Riesen stepped in with two deserters of a very different kind.

Both Michael and Alex took center stage while Claire sat down in her high seat. Alex didn't waste time and addressed the Senate members.

"Most of you may know me, my name is Alex Lannon. Not too long ago, I was standing in this exact spot, accusing Michael of being a liar, of deliberately deceiving us. Today I'm standing here to shape the future of Vega and to make you see that Michael is still very much a part of that future.

"Why, you might ask, should you believe a simple soldier like me? The truth is, I'm not a simple soldier, not anymore. You are all aware of the rumors of The Chosen One—they've been floating around ever since I can remember. I daresay every one of you has heard one version or another. But I can now tell you that the rumors are true and I will prove it to you."

Alex started stripping off his shirt and low murmurs spread through the ranks of the Senate when he exposed his torso, spreading his arms wide to show the tattoos off in the bright spotlight that shone on him from above.

"These tattoos that you see here were passed on to me from my father, Jeep, when he died at the hands of one of Gabriel's angels. I have accepted my duty to decipher them and fulfill whatever destiny has been set for me. But in order to do that, I need Michael's help, and I need _your_ help."

He turned to Michael, indicating him as he continued, "Michael has been helping me, has been training me for the past few months. Events have been set in motion that I could not have accomplished without him. His actions may not have always seemed straightforward, but he's been an invaluable teacher, and I firmly believe he will be important in shaping my and our future.

"As for recent events, you may have noticed a dip in Eight-ball attacks. I can offer an explanation for that. Gabriel has been wounded in a recent fight, wounded to the point where no one knows if he will survive. This will be our chance to regroup and rebuild our forces, gather our strength. We need to pull the city back together and I hope I can count on your support in accomplishing that goal."

A young man's voice piped up from the seat that used to be occupied by Becca Thorn. Alex could only surmise he was the successor to represent House Thorn. "The archangel murdered Consul Thorn. Are we supposed to just ignore that?"

Michael spoke up for the first time. "I will not pretend to deny my actions or their consequences. I very much regret my lapse of self-control that resulted in the unnecessary death of the consul but I urge you to also consider her crimes against my people.

"I had left Vega because I knew I would not be welcome here after killing a member of the Senate, a person valued by many, including myself. It was the Chosen One who demonstrated to me the importance of my presence in Vega, which ultimately persuaded me to come back."

Senator Romero cut in, "You make a point, Archangel, although one of questionable merit. Do you expect us to welcome you back without any kind of punishment, when murder is humanity's gravest crime of all?"

"Expect? No. In fact, I would not oppose a vote in the Senate as to how to handle the situation. I also wish to add that a punishment for my actions has already been exacted by my kind."

"And what kind of punishment would that be?" David Whele asked.

"A power has been taken from me that I have heavily relied on in the past—a power that will require continuous effort on my part to counterbalance. The outcome will ultimately benefit humanity, which I can only presume was the objective of my punishment."

Subdued mumbling caused disquiet in the room until Claire reached for the golden orb and banged it on its wooden plate three times. "Senators, please. This is a chance we can use to our advantage. This is how we steer Vega back on course. I propose that we take a twenty minute recess and then reconvene for a vote."

In the end, the vote was seven yea to four nay. Many of the details were still to be worked out, reservations to be assuaged, plans to be made. But the first foundation was laid and Alex was sure that, with the Senate's support, the rest would fall into place.

The one thing that everyone agreed upon, however, was that Alex's true identity would not be revealed to the general public just yet. The time for that would come. But Vega was not ready and there was work to be done that would ultimately be hindered by the revelation.

It was hard to believe after these past few weeks, but Alex finally had hope that there was a certain sense of normalcy returning to his life. He and Noma would be reinstated in the Archangel Corps, Michael would be back in the Stratosphere tower, and he might just live to see his child grow up.

The vision of his destiny was getting just a little bit less foggy, the way paved for the next steps. For the first time since the tattoos had transferred to his body, he felt ready to take on whatever was necessary.

* * *

It rarely rained in Vega, but today dark clouds swirled above, their wrath letting heavy droplets pour down in rapid succession.

Michael hardly noticed them as they soaked his clothes, his hair, his every fiber. He was kneeling on the now muddy terrain, his gaze fixed on the ornately carved marble structure in front of him that bore the inscription, "Becca Thorn," in golden letters.

Her ashes were now housed in the opulent family tomb, a tribute to the ruling class' wealth and status. He knew she had liked the convenience that being a V6 brought, but he also knew she had never cared about the prestige.

He found he knew a great many things about Becca Thorn and it drove the point home even more gravely. His weakness had eventually become his downfall. Nevertheless, he could not help the bone-deep sadness within him at the thought that he'd lost her forever, that he'd taken her life.

A faint rumble of thunder clapped somewhere in the far distance and Michael tried to remember the last time they'd made love, the last time she'd run her slender fingers across his body, the last time her lips had sought out his. He'd sworn off sexual relationships with humans decades ago, but she'd captured his heart like few others ever had.

He let his chin drop to his chest, tears threatening and stinging behind his eyes. He abhorred his own lapse of control, his inability to keep his mind focused. He deserved every bit of his punishment.

There was still little that could fill the void of losing his connection to the humans and he constantly struggled with navigating his way through the city and the maelstrom of emotions and sensitivities without it. He found that he had to rely on verbal communication more than ever before—something he was not used to, but also something that came with unexpected rewards in the most unpredictable ways.

Even Uriel had noticed the change and he felt there was progress there too. He knew she still blamed him but her hostility was becoming less with every meeting. News of his brother was scarce but encouraging. They said that progress was hardly detectable but the wound was starting to heal ever so slightly. There was hope yet that Gabriel could recover.

Michael took this news with mixed feelings. Gabriel was still his twin brother and he couldn't bear the thought of losing him. He also knew that if Gabriel fully recovered, he would come back, driven by unrivaled vengeance that he would unleash unto humanity.

Michael feared the worst. An archangel's rage was a thing fierce and fearsome. The millennia he'd lived through had taught him that and the fact that he was currently staring at the gravestone of someone he had both loved and killed was an apt reminder.

Another low peal of thunder sounded over the patter of rain and he suddenly felt a hand softly touching his shoulder. His head whipped around to recognize someone he would not have expected to see.

"Michael," Claire softly said, immediately withdrawing her hand.

"I apologize, I should not be here," he said, bowing his head.

"You cared for her."

The rain relented slightly and Michael hesitated a moment before he said, "I loved her."

"I know it's not my place to ask, but… why?"

"It wasn't something I did willfully or intentionally. Your mind may not work the same way that ours does. I'm not sure how I can ever put it into terms that will be comprehensible to a human being."

"There is so much mystery shrouding you and your kind. You've always been the untouchable—so aloof, always keeping a respectful distance. Sometimes it's hard to imagine you could have feelings like we do. Perhaps we're not so different, you and I."

"In many ways, we're not," he conceded, getting up from his kneeling position.

She fixed him with a determined gaze. "I won't pretend that it's going to be easy to rebuild the trust we've had in you, but I'd be leading with a bad example if I didn't grant second chances. I believe you've never had anything but our best interests at heart, despite what happened before you left. You have my full support in the Senate and I hope you have learned something from this tragedy."

"Thank you, Lady Riesen."

She gave him a small smile. "Oh, please. Call me Claire."

He gave her a curt nod. "Very well."

"My father always believed in you, we all did. And because of some small miracle, or perhaps because of what the markings told him, Alex still does. You do realize that, don't you?"

"Yes, very much so."

"The people of Vega need you. We need you to help us rebuild. Don't let us down, Michael."

"Nothing could be further from my intentions."

Her expression softened into a degree of benevolence. "And as far as I'm concerned, you're always welcome here."

She gave him a last look, then left, the wet gravel crunching beneath her feet.

He looked at the Thorn tomb one last time, the resolution forming clearly in his mind: never again. Becca's death would not be in vain. Humanity was something to fight for and not something to carelessly destroy.

Now was the time to rebuild and rebuild he would, with all the power vested in him.

* * *

THE END.


End file.
